Perfect Fragrant Gifts for Annoying People

October 24, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 8 Comments

Post by Azar

Happy Impending Holidays, APJ!

The holiday season is upon us and what better way to please the folks on Santa’s list than with perfumed and fragrant gifts. There are also those other, “special people” who deserve lumps of coal or bundles of sticks. Perhaps these stinkers might benefit from pleasant fragrances too!

Perfect Fragrant Gifts for Annoying People

Poo-Pourri Party Pooper – 2016

Our young friend “L” is a wonderful woman – in all ways but one. This lovely person has a very annoying and smelly habit. When visiting our home, “L” will inevitably unload in the bathroom, closest to where the action is. The fan and air fresheners have no effect. “L” usually emerges from the bathroom giggling, knowing full well that she has gassed the entire assemblage and polluted the party. I consider this “marking behavior” and have chided her often to no avail. So for “L” this year’s perfect fragrant gift will be:

Poo-Pourri Party Pooper Gift Set – Potty like a rock star and leave the toilet smelling better than you found it with a pure blend of mandarin, lily and tangerine natural essential oils.

Fragrantica

Empire by Donald Trump – 2015

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Spicy mint, tea, orange blossom, apple, jasmine, amber, musk, tonka bean

The next gift recipient is politico, “G”, who would barge into the house, day or night, trying to convert us to his religion, telling us how to vote and advising us on health matters. We don’t see much of “G” anymore, but if he appears around the holidays I will be ready with a gift, one that I know he will appreciate – Empire by Donald Trump. I have not tried Empire but I’m sure that “G” will resonate with the name and the celebrity candidate behind it.

Fragrantica

Star Trek Pon Farr – 2285

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Nectarine, white violet, orchid
Heart: Egyptian jasmine, mirabelle, vanilla
Base: Patchouli, musk, sandalwood

Finally, I’m sure you’ve met someone like the next special person on our list. “J”, a cougar who imagines she is still a sex kitten, is always on the prowl, showing up at parties looking “other-worldly” in micro minis and skimpy tops. Far be it from me to question anyone’s fashion sense or methods of sexual manipulation, but this girl really needs some help. My gift to her this year will be the Star Trek fragrance Pon Farr. Pon Farr is defined as “a neuro-chemical imbalance in Vulcans occurring every 7 years causing them to be extremely horny.” Pon Farr might actually help “J” by postponing her last hormonal gasp for 7 years, effectively by-passing menopause and temporarily clearing any predatory illusions from her mind.

Today’s give-away is a 5 ml decant of Pon Farr – only shipping to addresses on planet earth. To be eligible let us know how you follow APJ and tell us about a special person in your life who could use a fragrant gift this season?

Live Long and Prosper!

Azar xx

Peety by Angelo Pregoni for O`Driu 2013

October 17, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 52 Comments

Post by Azar

Hi there fellow Junkies!

In 20 13 I wrote a review of O’Driu Peety and a subsequent two-part interview with O’Driu’s controversial perfumer Angelo Pregoni. Several readers were put off, maybe even pissed off, at the suggestion of adding pee to perfume. At the time, adding bodily fluids to fragrance smacked of a middle school science project and seemed an ill conceived, sophomoric attempt at marketing. In retrospect I see that the reference to pee served its purpose, drawing attention to the House of O’Driu and to the talents of Pregoni – not an easy thing to do in an industry that has so many accomplished perfumers and where at least 1,600 new fragrances are introduced every year!

Peety by Angelo Pregoni for O`Driu 2013

Peety Revisited – The Truth be Told

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Jasmine, rose, tobacco leaf, moss
Heart: Mandarin orange, bitter orange, amber, cinnamon, pink pepper
Base: Patchouli, sandalwood, tonka bean

Three years on I am still enjoying Peety – without any adulterants. On me it is a gorgeously warm, animalic oriental, the perfect scent for autumn or for any time I want to feel good. I don’t care about Pregoni’s antics or what he believes in (and the same goes for Coco Chanel) – I just love the perfume and appreciate the talent that created it. And Unlike many of my other indie and niche fragrances, Peety never goes into storage. It is out for use all year long.

That being said, I am not focusing here on defending Peety or the talents of Pregoni, or ranting against attempts to marginalize someone or something because it doesn’t fit into a prescribed template. My reason for revisiting Peety is that I’ve come to realize to what extent other peoples’ opinions affect me. Sadly, up until today, I have been wearing Peety secretly – not admitting how much I adore this stuff and what I really think of Pregoni’s talent, for fear I too will be marginalized or sniffed at.

Flickr

I have always considered myself outspoken, but the Peety thing made me realize that I carry around plenty of irrational fears revolving around not being liked, “friended” or appreciated for who I really am…but how can anyone know who I really am (and what I really like) if I’m afraid to say what I think? It seems this kind of honesty often involves some risk – either to the sense of self or to the sensibilities of others.

LuckyScent has $180/50ml + Samples

Azar xx

Petty GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winner who will receive:
1 x 2ml spray decant of Peety by O’Driu
1 x 5ml decant of vintage Eau de Rochas
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

Open to everyone worldwide who follows AustralianPerfumeJunkies via eMail, WordPress, Bloglovin or RSS. Please leave how you follow in the comments to be eligible. I must be able to check that you follow so if you have an email address on your gravatar that’s different to your follow address then please email me so I know. Yes, you can start following to enter, in fact it’s encouraged.

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us if you ever find yourself intimidated by the knowledge of a perfume expert or the consensus of a crowd – so much so that you keep your ideas and opinions to yourself? Does the prospect of defending your favorite fragrance or navigating a gauntlet of criticism take the wind out of your sails or, like the Union Civil War naval officer David (James) G. Farragut, do you simply say “Damn the torpedoes…go ahead…full speed!”

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Wednesday 19th October 2016 10pm Australian EdsT and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Sunday 23rd October 2016 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit

Sniffory GIVEAWAY WINNER

October 7, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 2 Comments

Post by Portia

Hey APJ,

Thanks to Sniffory for their generosity and Azar for getting in and finding out about them.
Let’s see who won,

Portia xx

Sniffory GIVEAWAY WINNER

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winners who will receive:
1 x 15ml Sniffory designer sample (once they open for business)
P&H USA ONLY

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Thursday 6th October 2016 10pm Australian EST
Winners were chosen by random.org

Gina Tabasso

The winners will have till Sunday 9th October 2016 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit

Sniffory: New Decant Service

October 3, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 34 Comments

Post by Azar

Hello Gorgeous Smelling Peeps,

Whatever the purchase (or the path), I feel it absolutely necessary, as well as empowering, to have solid options and viable alternatives. This political season, I’m sure that many of “my fellow ‘Mericans” had hoped to make a good choice between solid, viable candidates in the 2016 presidential election. No such luck! Sadly, what we are being “offered” this time around is anything but viable, let alone believable. The recent political process has left me feeling not only powerless to effect any change but politically disenfranchised as well. The prospect of once again having to vote defensively simply to maintain the status quo is an abhorrent, although seemingly necessary, reality.

Fortunately for me, when the American political landscape is so bleak and devoid of honest, sweet smelling alternatives, I know that I have literally thousands of wonderful fragrances to choose from in Perfumeland. Also, to help me make the perfect full bottle
choice, there are now more than a score of services offering samples and decants for individual purchase or by subscription. I am currently subscribed to two of these and use a couple of the others for occasional sampling and collecting.

Sniffory: New Decant Service

Coming in November, 2016 there will be a new “candidate” for decant services on the sampler/decant ballot. Sniffory, the brainchild of perfume industry veteran Judah Abraham, will be a decant service website, offering an extensive selection, low prices and proposed great customer service. Here are a few of Sniffory’s campaign “promises”:

1 – $15 US for a 15 ml decant of your choice from Sniffory’s extensive collection of designer fragrances. Niche will be in their collection very soon.

2 – Every order, every time, will include a nifty, refillable travel case.

3 – A $15 promo code will be included with each order, good towards the purchase of a full bottle of your choice.

4 – The $15 cost includes US shipping. International shipping is in the works.

While Sniffory is not a subscription service, subscriptions will be rolled out soon and will include even better discounts on the 15 ml decants and the already low priced full bottles. Judah Abraham does not anticipate waiting lists or queues for most of the popular fragrances and plans to work hard to improve any glitches that may surface.

All of this sounds great to me and, unlike the promises of our US political candidates, these assurances seem good for everyone, totally doable and well within the realm of possibility.

Today’s give-away will be for one 15 ml decant of your choice from Sniffory’s designer collection. Sent ONLY TO THE USA. To be eligible to win you don’t have to tell us which candidate you are voting for.

Azar xx

Sniffory GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 1 winners who will receive:
1 x 15ml Sniffory designer sample (once they open for business)
P&H USA ONLY

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please tell us if you have used a sampling or decant service or what you like (or don’t like) about these companies.

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 6th October 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Sunday 9th October 2016 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit

Vintage Eau de Rochas by Nicolas Mamounas for Rochas 1970

September 19, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 22 Comments

Post by Azar

Hello Perfume Pals,

Stocking up, prepping, hoarding, collecting – whatever you call it, many of us indulge in flagrant fragrance excesses of every kind. Probably the most important thing I’ve learned from my fellow perfume junkies is to dump the guilt, go with the flow and simply stop and enjoy the perfume. Knowing that I have a supportive network of like-minded “hobbyists” has made it possible for me to re-tool the pejorative phrase “anything that is worth doing is worth over-doing” into a mantra that supports my fascination with scent. It is OK to collect mass quantities of perfume – as long as the collection doesn’t break the bank, sink the ship or crowd me out of house and home.

For many years I’ve enjoyed the thrill of finding treasures for the cheapest possible prices. Nowadays I search for the best deals on various household items but I also scour the auction sites and bargain bins for the lowest prices on perfumes. While some folks must have total immersion (the ambience and service offered by fragrance boutiques or perfume shops) I find my ultimate satisfaction in the lowest price per milliliter. Yes! Bigger can be better. So why not buy in bulk!

Now don’t scoff! I know that at least two of you seriously consider ppml (Price Per ml) before you purchase! Thrifty shoppers look at the unit price of everything, from the cost per square foot for homes to the price per pound of bananas. I am well aware that lumping luxury purchases into the same category as the basic essentials of life (bananas?) might be stretching it a bit – but so what? The bigger and cheaper the bottle the better – and I’m not talking about factice here. The big bottles must be filled with the real thing and – better yet – include the original box.

For some, the Holy Grail of giant perfume bottles is the 1.5 liter (50.721 oz) Shalimar India Nights extrait. These monsters were created as limited editions. The sheer size is breathtaking, but so is the price! A whopping $12,000 US (plus) disqualifies this one from my bargain search. But no worries – there are other big ones out there to satisfy my lust for large.

Vintage Eau de Rochas by Rochas 1970

Vintage Eau de Rochas by Nicolas Mamounas

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Lime, mandarin orange, basil, grapefruit, bergamot, lemon, verbena
Heart: Coriander, carnation, patchouli, jasmine, narcissus, wild rose
Base: Oakmoss, sandalwood, amber, musk, vetiver

Just the other day I purchased a full 14.9 oz (440ml) near pristine vintage Eau de Rochas, including the original box, for $9 US – that’s approximately 2.045 cents per ml! My big bottle was shipped quickly and arrived in perfect condition with no leaks or stains. It smells exactly like it should too – cooling, citrus-y, herbal with a breath of fresh carnation, jasmine and vetiver. The bottle looks like a huge chunk of ice. That alone makes me smile. The jus itself is certainly worth its weight in denatured alcohol!

Is ppml important to you? What is the biggest bottle of fragrance you have ever seen – or purchased?

Azar xx

(Ed: All photos donated by Azar.)

Parrot Perfume – Smell Like a Pionus

September 5, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 48 Comments

Post by Azar

Hi APJ!

Did you ever want to smell like someone or something else – a flower perhaps, a celebrity or a parrot? A parrot you say? Some of these birds can smell pretty foul (sorry). Many psittacines have distinct, oily, dusty, musky odors. If you have ever walked into a parrot shop or indoor aviary you know what I’m talking about – a kind of sweaty, hormonal scent. While some parrots have a pleasant version of this musk, others smell like wet, dirty socks.

Parrot Perfume – Smell Like a Pionus

The parrot I want to smell like is Gomez, the beautiful Blue Headed Pionus (Pionus menstruus). Wild Pionus parrots hail from Central and South America and are common birds in their home range. The fragrance of each Pionus is unique and, like human scent, changes depending on individual chemistry, diet, environment and myriad other factors. Gomez has three distinct “perfumes” that I’ve noticed in our 14-year relationship.

The first is the musky odor – Gomez’ “I am pissed off.” smell or “I’m really horny!” smell or “You are wearing a red dress therefore I am going to bite you.” smell. Pionus are shy birds and don’t like change. New earrings, radically different clothing or unfamiliar scents will, with luck, result in warning wafts of musk.

Gomez also has two beautiful fragrances that tell me he is happy or that something interesting is in view. The original Pleasant Pionus Perfume (PPP) is a honeyed, dusty floral with notes of mimosa, nuts, milk, iris and a light parrot musk. The second (PPP II) is a flanker and I believe an intentional reaction or response to a new fragrance I’ve been wearing lately. The other day I was hanging out near Gomez’ cage and smelled something very familiar – Note Fragrances Blood Orange Chocolat. Previously I detected a similarity between PPP and BOC but this time it was full blown Blood Orange Chocolat. I moved my nose closer to Gomez’ cage, calling his name in dulcet tones. Gomez wafted what was unmistakably the dry down phase of BOC. Had he, at some point, noticed me wearing Blood Orange Chocolate and reformulated his original PPP into PPPII to better communicate with me? Was my intelligent, albeit bird-brained companion, trying to augment his limited vocal vocabulary with scent-based inter- species communication?

For several years I have been suggesting someone come up with a parrot perfume – perhaps one will show up sooner than later! Now I’m wondering if anyone is currently researching reciprocal, scent based inter-species communication? I’m also wondering what message Gomez was really trying to send to me via PPP II and what did my wearing Blood Orange Chocolat really mean to him.

Azar xx

Pionus GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

The winner will receive:
1 x 5 ml of Note Fragrances Blood Orange Chocolat
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Tell us if you have experienced inter-species communication or know which fragrance your significant other (any species) prefers you wear

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Wednesday 7th September 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Saturday 10th September 2016 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Tomato Leaf: Sweet Anthem + Illuminum reviews

August 15, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 27 Comments

Post by Azar

Hello Perfume Pals,

New perfumeries pop up everyday and it is inevitable that some will fall by the wayside. The ability to create beautiful fragrances does not mean a house will be around forever.

In 2016, after 9 years in business, Meredith Smith sold her Seattle based Sweet Anthem to a Portland, Oregon perfumer. While the name and the logo have not changed, my favorites – Joan, Lolita, Red Queen – are missing from the new website. Meredith will remain involved as a perfumer, but I have to admit that I miss her presence and my visits to her tiny shop in West Seattle.

Today I’m reviewing two perfumes that include the illusive scent of tomato leaf.

The Trouble with Tomato Leaves!

Tomato Photos by Azar

First let me say something about tomatoes. Last year the 100 + tomato plants in my garden produced a bumper crop in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. This summer I’m growing half that number of plants and the season has been cool. We won’t have a glut of tomatoes this year. However, we will have the fragrance of tomato leaves – but not for long! The leaf scent is produced by glandular trichomes in the epidermis that secrete a yellow substance giving each variety a characteristic odor. As the nights get cooler and the days shorter the trichomes no longer function and the scent of tomato leaf is history. At this point I resort to manmade perfumes for my tomato leaf fix!

Tomato Leaf: Sweet Anthem + Illuminum reviews

Fragrantica

Tomato Leaf by Michael Bondi for Illuminum 2012

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Tomato leaf, carrot seeds, orange, jasmine, freesia, osmanthus, musk, vanilla

Tomato Leaf is a green, raw, and crisp white floral, chilly and slightly acrid, lacking the vegetal warmth of the real thing. It seems the perfumer tried to create warmth using osmanthus and something like clove, but instead managed to push the fragrance into the realm of Tiger Balm – Baume du Tigre Fraîche! Don’t get me wrong! I like Tomato Leaf but would adore it if the green floral lasted longer and the Tiger Balm was less prominent.

EauMG

Joan by Meredith Smith for Sweet Anthem 2010

Basenotes gives these featured accords:
Beeswax, coriander, peony, tomato leaf, white mint

Joan, on the other hand, is a warm, sunny floral – herbal, minty and full of beeswax. The tomato leaf is entwined with peony creating the scent of an early summer garden. While not a true tomato leaf, Joan captures the essence of a tomato plant soaking up the sunshine. I prefer the solid version to the EdP, as Joan is quite long lived with serious sillage.

Both fragrances have been discontinued. So – why am I even reviewing them? Good question! What do you think? Should reviewers write about impossible to find fragrances? Has one of your favorite houses been sold or gone belly up? Do you like the scent of tomato leaf in perfume?

Azar xx

Goddess? My Perfume Pantheon

August 1, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 65 Comments

Post by Azar

Hello Perfume Pals!

The quote of the day:
“There are only two kinds of women – goddesses and doormats.” – Pablo Picasso

When I first came across this remark I felt as if I’d been slapped in the face. Good grief! I don’t consider myself a goddess or a doormat, so why does Picasso’s dated and sensationally ridiculous comment (not unlike a lot of his artwork) continue to bother me? Is the only alternative to divinity abuse? That old, dead artist has me wondering if I need to shed my matronly aspect and do a better job of projecting the goddess within – lest someone I don’t even know steps all over me! Fortunately, the legion of nymphs, sprites and other spirits languishing in my perfume storage has been waiting to transform this dowdy duckling into an ethereal, confident swan. Here are a few of my divinities!

Wikipedia

Goddess? My Perfume Pantheon

Goddesses of Love and Seduction:
Tabu by Dana – the old stuff
Guerlain Shalimar (sometimes)
Lucien Lelong vintage Sirocco
Viktoria Minya Hedonist
Guerlain Samsara – the older the better
Dior Hypnotic Poison – any version will work
Rosarium Blends Dom
Mardi Gras by Olympic Orchids
Amouage Interlude Man
DSH Mata Hari

More love goddesses are just lying around, but I only have room to list a few. For me, seduction tends toward dense, heavy and voluptuous fragrances, often with killer sillage and days of longevity.

WikiCommons

Moving right along –

Water Sprites – a sampling:
Germaine Monteil L’Eau De Monteil
Sun by Jill Sander

Djinns of Smiles and Confidence:
Anat Fritz Tzora (the kibbutz in a sock!)
Micallef Jewel for Her
Curve Kicks
Coty Les Muses (1986)

Wood Nymphs include:
Olympic Orchids Woodcut
The Red by The Sum
Wild Spruce and Tobacco by Pirouette
Various Oud oils

Floral, Greenhouse and Garden Fairies – a selection:
Lanvin Spanish Geranium
Matt, Heliotrope and Patchouli by Dame Perfumery
Olympic Orchids Golden Cattleya and Ballets Rouge
Annick Goutal Songes
Lolita and Joan by the old Sweet Anthem
Micallef Gardenia
Dior’s Diorissimo

Goddesses of Bombast:
Vintage Jungle Gardenia
Versace Blonde
Boucheron Trouble

Spirits of Galbanum:
Fidji by Guy Laroche
Vero Profumo Mito EdP

Fireside Devas:
Estee Lauder Youth Dew Amber Nude
Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan
Basil by Basil

The Goddess of the Conventional:
Chanel no. 5

Goddess GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
6 x 2ml decants of Azar’s Goddess Scents (NO you don’t get to choose)
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Tell us about a divine perfume that you simply adore or a fragrance that makes you feel like a goddess!
(Yes, you can enter if you are a man but you must answer the question)

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Wednesday 3rd August 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winners will be chosen by random.org
The winners will have till Saturday 6th August 2016 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Hedonist by Viktoria Minya 2013

July 18, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 60 Comments

Post by Azar

Hedonist by Viktoria Minya – 2013 – The Power of the Peach III + a Give-away

Hello Perfume Pals,

Have you ever coveted a perfume for years, made short work of several carded samples but couldn’t quite bring yourself to purchase a full bottle? Did you finally give in to temptation only to abandon your pricy love, leaving her to gather dust on the dressing table? It is sad but true that for many of us, in this realm of desire, obsession fades quickly with acquisition and the full bottle of our dreams will, sooner or later, be tucked back into its original box to join an ever growing collection of ignored and forgotten fragrances. I don’t know about you, but it seems I’m always craving a new scent experience, no matter that I haven’t completely explored what I already own.

A perfect example of my problem with acquisition and abandonment is my recent purchase of the original Hedonist by Viktoria Minya.

Hedonist by Viktoria Minya 2013

The Power of the Peach III

Fragrantica

Fragrantica lists these featured accords:
Top: Rum CO2, bergamot, peach
Heart: Jasmine absolute, orange flower absolute, osmanthus absolute, tobacco
Base: Vetiver, cedar wood, vanilla

Viktoria Minya’s Hedonist made a big splash when introduced in 2013 and no wonder! The fragrance is the quintessential peach – warm, fuzzy, decadent, juicy, oozing with nectar and what I perceive to be honey. It smells, at once, edible, elegant and sexual with a hot, ripe, buttery opening, a cool, citric, floral heart and an earthy, woody dry down. The addition of lime keeps this big, boozy fruit from spoiling. The osmanthus and vetiver ground the white florals and the lavish use of absolutes creates an expensive smelling, rich and vibrant scent trail that lasts for hours on skin and clothing. This fragrance is so long-lived that, when I drained my first group of samples, I simply added perfumers alcohol to the empties and was able to eek out a recognizable ghost of Hedonist from the thin film of EdP left on the inside of the vials.

Pixabay

So why is my beautiful cut glass bottle of this perfume (complete with sparking crystals sloshing in the jus) nearly as full as it was the day it arrived on my doorstep? I find myself wondering if my craving for novel olfactory experiences eclipses the beauties I already own and if the unknown (or unattainable) is more intriguing and desirable to me than the familiar.

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Candy Perfume Boy
LuckyScent has $200/45ml
Victoria Minya has €145/45ml with FREE Sample Kit

We have a GIVEAWAY below!

Azar xx

Hedonist GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x .7ml decant of Viktoria Minya’s Hedonist
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please describe which beautiful full bottle are you ignoring or have you tried the Viktoria Minya Hedonist and what did you think?

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 21st July 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Sunday 24th July 2016 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.

Blood Orange Chocolat by Danielle Fleming for Note Fragrances 2016

July 4, 2016 / australianperfumejunkiescom / 37 Comments

Post by Azar

Hello APJ,

I tend to shy away from perfume brands that incorporate musical notes (or any reference to music) in their logos and advertising. I suppose this aversion has to do with too many years of teaching piano, too many cute “note” themed gifts, numerous tedious encounters with impossibly cumbersome, experimental notations and a general overdose (year after year) of trendy, interdisciplinary synesthetics involving perfume, performance art and music. Enough of that! Suffice it to say that I would never, on my own, have discovered the Note Fragrances brand, had it not been for my subscription to the sampling service Scent Trunk. (Sampling services are grist for yet another mill!)

Skipping the logo, the romance and the back-story, here are my impressions of Note Fragrances’ Blood Orange Chocolat:

Blood Orange Chocolat by Note Fragrances 2016

Blood Orange Chocolat by Danielle Fleming

For me, Blood Orange Chocolat is all about the sandalwood, specifically Australian sandalwood (S. spicatum or a very good likeness thereof – but “no quote me, I might be wrong”*). I do get an initial rush of blood orange, followed by a potent, lingering mélange of chocolate, tonka, hazelnut, honey and a short squeeze of lemon! But it is the edgy, spicy, raw and dusty mineral quality of S. spicatum (I doubt it is the buttery S. album or another sandalwood – once again “no quote me, I might be wrong”) that blasts this otherwise pleasant and unremarkable gourmand into an entirely different dimension and category. To my nose, Blood Orange Chocolat, despite its name, is not a gourmand fragrance at all. Instead it contrasts chocolate, hazelnut, honey and citrus against the fragrance profile of Australian Sandalwood.

There are various sandalwood oils around here and I don’t really need a chocolate-y, vanilla-sugared version of any of them. But I just have to have more Blood Orange Chocolat! Why? There is a distinct similarity between the dusty honeyed accord in this perfume and the scent that Gomez, the Pionus parrot, emits when he is happy or excited. How can I resist?

Wikipedia

I have to tell you, though, that not everyone around here shares my opinion. Daughter Lauren recently made the trek from New Hampshire to the PNW. One evening, with granddaughter Allie, we enjoyed a sniffing marathon. For both Allie, Lauren (and Brad too) Blood Orange Chocolat was nothing more than this: Sweet blood orange and chocolate.

From what I understand, Blood Orange Chocolat will not be released until September but you can contact Note Fragrances for more information.

Scent Trunk has $74/60ml

BTW – Happy 4th!

Are you wondering if this perfume would work for you or which sandalwood was really used to make the fragrance? Today you have a chance to find out!

Azar xx

*Andy Bumatai from the Daily Pidgin Show

Note Fragrances GIVEAWAY

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week we will have 2 winners who will receive:
1 x 1.5ml decant of Blood Orange Chocolat by Note Fragrances
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOW DO YOU WIN?

You must tell me how you follow APJ

and

Please describe your favorite chocolate-y or gourmand fragrance

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Close Thursday 7th July 2016 10pm Australian EST and winners will be announced in a separate post.
Winner will be chosen by random.org
The winner will have till Sunday 10th July 2016 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit.